Among police executives whose departments use body-worn cameras, there is an overall perception that the cameras are a useful tool. These reported benefits include the following:

Strengthening police accountability by documenting incidents and encounters between officers and the public

Preventing confrontational situations by improving officer professionalism and the behavior of people being recorded

Resolving officer-involved incidents and complaints by providing a more accurate record of events

Improving agency transparency by allowing the public to see video evidence of police activities and encounters

Identifying and correcting internal agency problems by revealing officers who engage in misconduct and agency-wide problems

Strengthening officer performance by using footage for officer training and monitoring

Improving evidence documentation for investigations and prosecutions

Written policies should clearly describe the circumstances in which supervisors will be authorized to review an officer's body-worn camera footage. PERF recommends that supervisors review footage to investigate complaints and specific incidents, to identify training videos, and to review the activities of officers who are in a probationary period or who have a pattern of abuse allegations.